RASKC, along with other pet agencies, were selected to take part in a fun, community service project held at Zulily's studios. The project was created in the hopes of raising awareness of shelter pets by donating their time and expertise to capture the pets in a softer light, namely in a home-like setting. Zulily, which provided exclusive access to their studios and creative staff, set three beautiful backdrops ranging from playful room, to the "We're going on vacation!" feel, and finally "This is home" vibe. To read more about this amazing project and the two leaders behind it all, click here.
Meet
Volunteer of the Month Pia Gerholt! Pia provides outstanding volunteer
service as the Co-Lead of RASKC’s Kirkland Team. Since October 2015 she has
juggled the schedules of more than 175 volunteers. During 2016-17 she has been
the initial point of contact for about 76 new volunteers. Last year RASKC
volunteers at Kirkland donated more than 5,5657 hours with Pia’s assistance and
leadership. With great cheer and extraordinary diplomacy, Pia has very
effectively addressed a great range of issues from assisting volunteers with
using Volgistics to helping customers adopt a new furry member of their family.
Since 2015 Pia and her daughter Freja have worked a regular weekly shift at
Kirkland. Read a great interview with Pia on RASKC’s blog here.
During
the past few weeks RASKC led doggie playgroups for the first time. Up to six adoptable
dogs were taken out to run and play with their friends, including T-Bone, Mana,
Chevelle, Titus, Winston, Archie, Wilson, Dexter, and Raider. While three of
these dogs had originally been identified as “not getting along with other
dogs,” they actually did great together. Playgroups are a great tool to assess
dogs’ behavior, as well as allowing them with the opportunity to exercise!
RASKC will continue to run the playgroups as a pilot for the next several weeks
with hopes of making this a standard practice within the shelter. The doggie
playgroups are supervised by staff.
It’s
critical for all volunteers who work with cats to understand cats’ body
language in order to provide better care and to deepen the bonds of friendship
with feline companions. While RASKC provides a link to a great 20-minute video on the Resource Hub on the
homepage of each volunteer’s online record, we wanted to also encourage you to
view the online course from Maddie’s Fund here (free).
While
the Maddie’s Fund course will take you about 70 minutes, you don’t have to
complete it all at once. You can take as many breaks as you like, leave the
webpage, and turn off your computer. When you return, you’ll be asked if you’d
like to resume where you left off.
The
Maddie’s Fund course takes you through three forms of cat communication:
vocalization, body language, and scent. Throughout the course, you can test
what you learn by taking min-quizzes. If you score 70% or better on the final
quiz, you will earn an official certificate of attendance.
We’d
love to know how many RASKC volunteers achieve this distinction. If you do so,
please let us know at RASKC.Volunteers@kingcounty.gov.
RASKC
sent foster volunteer Melissa Blake and staffer Emily Ruppert to a 10 consecutive all-day training in Auburn this month led by the internationally
renowned John Rogerson.
Mr.
Rogerson, trainer Pat Wynn, and RASKC focus on positive reinforcement- no choke
chains or angry words, for example. Focus is spent on building an emotional
relationship with dogs and teaching emotional responses, with a large emphasis
on non-verbal communication.
You
can view some of John Rogerson’s videos on YouTube.
Local
professional dog trainer Pat Wynn has been providing top-notch positive
training and coaching for RASKC Dog Team volunteers nearly every month for the
past three years at no cost. She also teaches at Seattle Humane in Bellevue.
Here’s her website.
Memorial Day
falls on Monday, May 29. While RASKC will be closed to the public on this day,
animal care will be provided by staff and volunteers. While volunteer shifts at our store locations will take place as usual (Covington, Kirkland, Reber Ranch, and Tukwila), note the following changes to RASKC/Kent shifts::
Early
Morning Cat Crew: The shifts will take place as usual. Cat
Meet & Greet: No shifts.
Vet
Clinic: Volunteers: No shifts.
Shelter
Helper: Shifts are optional. If you take the day off, be sure to take yourself
off the schedule.
Dog
Team: Volunteer shifts take place as usual, except the last shift of the
day ends at 4pm. Because the dogs will be kenneled so early, it’s
extremely important that volunteers who are scheduled for the early shift on
Tuesday, May 30, arrive promptly at 8am.
Foster
volunteers: The Vet Clinic will be closed to fosters, except that Foster Care
Coordinator Lori Mason is available by phone and text for emergencies.
"Whether you arrived here last week or whether
you’ve lived here for five generations, you belong here" - King
County Executive Dow Constantine
The theme for the Pride Parade this year: We ALL Belong
Here.
For the third
consecutive year RASKC volunteers are invited to join the King County contingent on Sunday,
June 25, in downtown Seattle for the annual LGBT Pride Parade. Last year
more than 300 King County employees and volunteers, their families (including
some dogs) and friends joined in the festivities.
Dogs are welcome in the
Parade. If the dog you own is well socialized, able to walk a little
over a mile, and is good in crowds, feel free to bring them. You'll also need
to bring water and poop bags. If the weather is very warm, be aware that hot
pavement on the route could cause issues for sensitive paws. Of course, dog
handlers will need to pick up any messes their pet leaves behind.
Details to follow, but
lineup usually begins no later than 10:00am in downtown Seattle.
Muddy
Mutts: Foster volunteer Melissa Blake
reports that two RASKC canine alumni enjoyed a playdate at the Muddy Mutts
event earlier this month. See side photo.
Seattle
Beerfest: Foster
volunteer Melissa Blake recruited 54 volunteers, including some RASKC
staffers, to help at Seattle Beer Fest on July 9. Since the event organizers
will contribute $50 for each person who was registered by May 1, RASKC will receive
$2,700 if everyone works their shift. Thanks to Melissa and everyone who will
be participating!
Catsino:
Foster Care Coordinator Lori
Mason and four volunteers worked this fundraising event last month, sponsored
by the Furry Faces Foundation. Over $665 was raised for RASKC at this event.
Thanks to volunteers Melissa Blake, Dawn Detwiler, Dawn Gerken, and Marie
Gerken. Melissa, Marie, and Dawn are featured in the photo below. Thanks also to Starbucks (211th Street Kent location),
Applebee’s (Covington), and Road Runner Sports (Kent) for donating gift
certificates that contributed to RASKC’s fundraising success at this event.
Much gratitude to Teri Ensley, who runs the Furry Faces Foundation.
Are you someone who loves to organize and plan schedules?! If you're interested in volunteering and doing it from the comfort of your own home, let us know! Contact RASKC.Volunteers@kingcounty.gov. Currently we are looking for the following positions:
Saying Goodbye? When it comes time to say goodbye to volunteering, be sure to give your team leaders as much advance notification as possible-- at least two weeks, if possible. Please also give this type of advance notification also whenever you need to request a Leave of Absence, which is missing three or more consecutive shifts.
Employer Matching Funds: RASKC recently received a check for about $550, which represented employer matching funds for their employees who volunteer for RASKC. Thanks to Wendy Lin, Hiroko Yamaoka, and many others who participate in this type of program. Much gratitude also to participating employers including T-Mobile, Alaska Airlines, Amazon, and others!